More Than Music: LGBTQ+ Attendees Are More Likely to Find Love at Festivals Than Other Groups

Music festivals may have a reputation for being hedonistic getaways. But the tide seems to be turning on this stereotype, as festivals become intentional dating destinations for underrepresented communities. 

In fact, these groups are actively challenging the festival hookup trope by seeking strong social and romantic engagement on their own cultural terms. 

With festival season in full swing, DatingAdvice.com conducted a survey with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults to find out exactly how festivalgoers view romantic connections at these musical events. 

In sum, our findings revealed LGBTQ+, Gen Z, and Black festivalgoers are blazing the path for intentional romantic behavior at festivals and creating connections that last beyond the party scene. 

When it comes to festival attendance, Gen Z is without a doubt leading the pack. More than half of Gen Z respondents (54%) have attended at least a few festivals in their lifetime, while 15.6% reported attending regularly. 

Though their representation isn’t always visible in mainstream marketing, Black attendees have presented a strong showing in festival culture. After Gen Z, Black festival goers were the most engaged demographic, with 37.4% of respondents saying they’ve attended multiple music festivals. 

Moving onto gender metrics, men (42.1%) were more likely than women (34.6%) to say they’ve attended a few festivals. It is clear from our results that younger audiences and male participants are driving festival culture. 

But how many attendees are looking for love and music in the crowd? 

About 13% of Gen Z respondents shared that they attend festivals with the hope of meeting a special someone there. While 14.9% of men reported viewing festivals as prime dating venues, compared to just 7.4% of women. 

Additionally, about 4 in 10 Black respondents admitted that festivals create a somewhat romantic atmosphere, depending on the event, showing romantic intrigue but on their terms. 

For many attendees, music festivals aren’t all about partying and crowd-surfing. It’s also about sparking authentic connections to the beat of their own drum. And underrepresented groups have taken intentional steps to find romance in these spaces. 

In fact, 11% of Gen Z, LGBTQ+, and Black respondents say they’ve used a dating app specifically tied to the musical event to search for matches.

Methods aside, festival goers are actually finding love. LGBTQ+ attendees had the highest success rate in finding romantic connections. As a matter of fact, 43% of LGBTQ+ respondents say they’ve met someone at a festival, compared to just 36% of non-LGBTQ+ respondents. 

According to our study, LGBTQ+ participants were more likely to form long-term relationships with their festival connections than straight men, as well — a 38% difference!

Gen Z was also able to create enduring connections via the festival cycle, but at a slightly lower rate than LGBTQ+ attendees. Indeed, 21% of Gen Z respondents reported having met someone romantically at a music festival.

Though hookups are common at festivals, our study revealed that many festival goers don’t exactly attend intending to hook up — or at least don’t admit to it.

Only 5% of straight women said they go specifically for hookups, and about 18% responded with “sometimes.” Nearly 40% go for the music solely. 

On the other hand, an overwhelming percentage of straight men (100%) said they don’t attend festivals with the intent of having sex. Yet, 22% revealed they pack condoms and other products in preparation for festival attendance.

This gender mismatch may suggest missed connections and misaligned expectations.

Responses from LGBTQ+ participants were more nuanced, with splits for casual intent, mixed motivations, or interest in connection.

Our study also found that hookup readiness is a huge checkbox item for many festival goers, whether they’re intentionally seeking a hookup or not.

Instead, attendees pack in case chemistry is sparked, showing an awareness and support for sexual literacy and safety, especially since unprotected festival sex has led to a surge in STIs in the past.

Hookup readiness and protection were especially popular among Gen Z, LGBTQ+, and Black groups, which the following stats reveal:

• 25% of LGBTQ+ respondents pack for a hookup.
• 22% of Black respondents said they do the same.
• 20% of Gen Z arrive with intention and protection. 

Festival goers aren’t just packing water bottles and glitter, but are also seeing the value in packing for protection with condoms, wipes, lube, and sexual wellness products.

As our study found, festivals are more than just a place to enjoy music. They are increasingly becoming outlets for marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, to find each other and create lasting relationships.

This speaks to a deeper need for community, affirmation, and safe space, which festivals provide for both identity and intimacy. 

This survey was conducted by DatingAdvice.com in March 2025 with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults. Participants were asked about their music festival attendance, romantic expectations, and dating behaviors related to music festivals. 

The sample was balanced across age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political affiliation.

Results were analyzed by demographic subgroups, including generation (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers), gender identity, LGBTQ+ status, and race. The survey was conducted online and carries a margin of error of ±3.1%.